Red Sox, Dodgers Nearing Blockbuster

SATURDAY, 7:52am: The deal is "pretty much done," reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that both Beckett and Crawford have agreed to waive their no-trade clauses while Rosenthal adds that both clubs have signed off on the medicals.

FRIDAY, 10:00pm: Crawford has the Dodgers on his partial no-trade list and the outfielder has yet to be asked to accept a trade, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It has been previously reported that Crawford can block trades to two clubs but Heyman writes that Crawford has the ability to block trades to three teams.

6:45pm: The Dodgers have agreed to send Webster, De La Rosa, Loney, Sands, and De Jesus to the Red Sox, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Meanwhile, a source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link) not to expect a deal to be completed tonight.

6:42pm: The Red Sox have yet to secure permission from Beckett, who has 10-and-5 rights, or Crawford, who has a partial no-trade clause, a source tells Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. However, neither player is expected to block the deal.

The Dodgers recently won the claiming rights to Gonzalez and Beckett. Gonzalez can't block a trade to Los Angeles, but Beckett must approve any assignment as a player with ten and five rights. Crawford and Punto cleared waivers earlier this month and can be traded without waiver-related restrictions.

The Dodgers have been willing to take on considerable salaries since their new ownership group gained control of the club at the beginning of the 2012 season. Adding the four Red Sox players would represent a substantial financial commitment:

Gonzalez will earn $21MM per season through 2016 and obtain a raise to $21.5MM for 2017-18. The total exceeds $130MM when accounting for the remainder his 2012 salary.

Beckett will earn $15.75MM per season through 2014. As noted above, he must approve any trade.

Crawford will earn $20MM in 2013, $20.25MM in 2014, $20.5MM in 2015, $20.75MM in 2016 and $21MM in 2017. His contract allows him to block trades to two teams.

PTBNL can remain anonymous until the season is over especially when the player involved is a 1st year signee (who can’t officially be dealt) and when teams want to dodge waivers. It’s done all the time.

This would HAVE to include Dee Gordon and Zach Lee, plus a good chunk more. I nkw that the Dodgers are eat a LOOOOOT of salary, but a trade like this totally blows up Boston’s team, what with not having more than 2 potentially-good SPs and losing aruguably their best hitter.
I don’t know how this could happen when it probably means a 3-year rebuilding process for Boston, even if the Dodgers DID give them good prospects. Without 4 or 5 good prospects (which Idon’t think L.A. even has to spare), this could set Boston back 5 years or lead to even more horrible contracts.

right. on the right contract he absolutely would. on the presumed contract, he absolutely wouldn’t

frankly, if you’re going to overhaul the roster to this degree, i vote for exploring other radical changes through trades. that’s partly because i think some great talent could be added and partly because i think it kinda sounds like fun

So, how much more likely do you think this makes an Upton trade this winter? They’ve almost certainly got to be more interested at this point right (or at least more interested in adding someone to the outfield).

Yeah, I’m a Gonzalez fan (and an even bigger fan of his contract), so it does suck (I was actually hopeful of Beckett being at least serviceable next year and Crawford finally being back to his old self too, but dumping their contracts doesn’t hurt my feelings).

Also, I kind of worry that the owners will feel like they have to make a splash to keep the fans happy, rather than just adding the best fit(s) both talent and contract-wise. If they go the free agent route the only real splashes to make are Hamilton and Greinke, both of whom would be awesome to have on the team, but both of whom are going to cost way too much and have real concerns going forward. That’s kind of why I’m really hoping for an Upton trade (well, that and the obvious “because he’s friggin’ awesome”), adding him would be a definite splash, but would actually be a good move.

to be spent on what? there arnt any decent free agents out there..and remember..the price for free agents rises each and every offseason. in a few years those big name FA’s will be getting 30+million a season

What I’m seeing doesn’t seem to be much. Prior to this season, only one of the 4 prospects ranked in the top 20 in the Dodger chain (Allen Webster @ #3) according to Baseball Prospectus. Also included were Rubby DeLaRosa, Jerry Sands & Ivan De Jesus Jr.

De Jesus is the son of the former Cub/Philly/etc. shortstop of the same name. No idea if any of the other 3 are related to Jorge, Mitch or the old Vegas casino.

If this happens it’s a great deal for both teams. The dodgers have a ton of money and it’s managed by same people for once. They get an all star 1stbasemen. A 4th of for now who provides insurance of Shane leave via free agency and is ready to back up withers eventual dl trip. A playoff proven starter and a glove first utility man. Take on all of Adrian’s contract and all of becketts. While taking on at least half of crawfords. The bosox can clear around 250 million from their payroll while getting a few prospects. You almost have to do
It

As a side not.. Is it 1965 again? I feel like a youngster all over, only.. Where is Reggie Smith, Mike Andrews, Tony “C”, Joe Foy?? I don’t quite think Boston’s farm is quite ready to bring up the youngsters yet.. 1 more year…

Ellie Howard had one of the greatest throwing arms in the history of the game supposedly and could block about anything thrown up to the plate. When anyone thinks of defensive 1st catcher? he was the guy, or back then one would have named him.

He was a godsend on that team (67 Sox) even as old as he was and anchored the young, kiddie corp that they had.

you can get some kind of idea as to his arm just by glancing over his SB/CS%.. it was generally in the **POSITIVE** 50% range and he could block nearly anything, he was just outstanding behind the dish, just wasn’t much of a hitter and never got a chance to shine with NY for many years because of this guy named.. Yogi berra..

Edit:

I only saw the few games back then that were shown on National TV and WS at the end part of his NYY career, but thought he was brilliant also and of course his short Sox career.

Ah man.. Didn’t think of that angle… Does that mean the cheesy and lame chicken and beer jokes slide over to LAD fans if Becket goes to the LAD? We’ll see if it is just posters dislike of Boston, or if it is dislike of Beckett should the deal happen huh Karkat.

If that is the “case”? Send ’em Lackey also if Boston is rebuilding.. get rid of all the Red Sox large salaries. Cherrington can drink some “near beer” until Colletti gets toasted enough to have 2 guys with TJ surgery. It would have to be a record, making a deal with 2 guys under the knife with TJ/recovering from that surgery.

In part of Lackey’s contract, the Sox could have him for the major league minimum due to time on the DL, I think….i remember fearing this guy when he was on the Angel’s….for pennies, a healthy Lackey might be a bargain.

Yeah. it was for a pre existing injury that Boston had put into his contract before they signed it. seems Boston had worries (thanks epstein ) about his elbow before giving out that contract and 1 year with a team option at mlb min, as a team option is the price Lackey had to pay if he had to go under the knife for that pre existing injury, so he gets traded, that option goes to the team also.

It wouldn’t take that much to get this package, given the salaries involved. Also, the Sox would have zero interest in Gordon, as they have plenty of shortstops in the pipeline. Castellanos and two pitchers, plus a couple of out-of-favor prospects, should get the job done.

I think the dodgers would give victorino and alex hinshaw, in addition to paying for the majority, back to boston. Not certain, but the dodgers don’t need 4 outfielders, and he’s the only sensible one on the move. Also, there’s a chance Blanton would be moving too, because the Dodgers don;t need 6 pitchers, in addition to Ted Lilly and De La Rosa rehabbing. Nonetheless, I’m interested to see what will happen. However, I’m certain the Sox receive more players, in addition to what I just stated.

There is no way this deal gets done as stated. Not even the new $$$ Dodgers have that kind of cash. Let’s not forget the penalties they will have to pay. They are desperate and are afraid they can no longer keep up with the Giants. yet the Giants don’t even have half the Dodgers payroll.

The Dodgers are OUT OF THEIR MIND!!! Why would you even bother taking on the Beckett and Crawford contracts?…I understand Agon but why?…this is a very questionable trade for the Dodgers regardless of how much cap the Dodgers have.

I’d like to propose a 3-way trade… Dodgers get Gonzalez, Crawford, Beckett and Punto, White Sox get Clayton Kershaw, and Red Sox get a note from Kevin Youkilis that reads “Thanks for getting me the He// out of there.”

Hate to even bring this up…. but Howard might be a viable target for the Red Sox in the offseason. Take on a lot of the money and send one of the shortstops (Bogaerts, most likely) plus some other pieces. I think the Phils would do that in a heartbeat, and it gives the Red Sox a power bat to replace Ortiz as DH in the long run.

“The Red Sox would receive prospects and not just salary relief if the deal happens, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports”

This is just too good to be true.. LAD fans must be punching holes in walls over this and Boston fans jumping with glee it “appears” so 1 sided.. We ain’t getting the entire picture (or close to it) or some writers are blowing smoke out of a huge orifice.

Edit:

1st bit of negative news on WEEI has Looney Loney going to Boston.. At least he is a FA after the season.. It also stated there that the savings would allow Boston to pursue a lower priced FA in the off season to play 1b.

Can kind of understand this on the face of what we are seeing thus far. Boston isn’t getting anybody of value in return.. A couple of utility people they have better at Pawtucket already in Lin and Nate Spears, a couple of pitchers ranked well below many they already have in the system..

This is a plain and simple salary dump.. Just see if Boston pays much (if any) of the leftover, cause they sure didn’t get any talent in return for Gonzo in the deal.

I’m excited as a Yankees fan, because I’ve been waiting for a rs sale. Beckett’s and Agon’s contracts are really not that bad, and I think CC should be healthy next year.
Beckett could be an ace if he gets things straightened out, and agon is an mvp type player, pair him with kemp and you have a nice 3/4. Not quite as good as Miggy/Fielder but one top middle order, and doesn’t completely sacrifice D to get there.

Depends how much salary we’re taking on. If the Dodgers are taking on all of it, I agree. But if the Red Sox are paying a fair amount of Beckett and Crawford’s salaries, I can deal with Sands and Lee and Webster. Gordon and De La Rosa, no! I’m higher on De La Rosa than any of our pitching prospects.

I’m guessing Rubby and Sands will go. Acceptable trade for Adrian Gonzalez/$$$$ as far as I’m concerned. That’s a TON of money the Dodgers are taking on. As a Dodgers fan, I am ecstatic about having Gonzalez in the lineup. Beckett in the rotation I am iffy over, but down for the idea of him rebounding in the NL.

If the Dodgers are willing to take on Beckett and Crawford’s contracts, they’re doing so in order to give up LESS in terms of prospects for Adrian Gonzalez. Beckett and Crawford have negative trade value. Gonzalez is the only guy in the bunch that has positive trade value, and the inclusion of Crawford and Beckett would be to negate that value.

In other words, don’t expect to be getting a lot back from the Dodgers other than salary relief if this deal goes through. No Gordon, no Castellanos, no Van Slyke, no De La Rosa. I’m not sure anyone from the 40-man roster would clear waivers anyway, aside from Uribe and Rivera…

This would obviously change if the Red Sox were paying a decent chunk of salary, though.

Crawford and A-Gon alone are over $200 mil. you throw in Becketts last two years and change and that adds up to about $254 for a total of four players. There isnt a lot in terms of Free Agents this coming off-season(Josh Hamilton will be the big name) but unloading that kind of money helps immensely.

It would be interesting to see if they would make a run with Hamilton’s off the field history since that has been a focal point for players on this years team. I would be intrigued to see what their plan would be at 1st and the starting rotation.

So if the Sox send Beckett, Crawford, Gonzalez and Punto does anyone have any idea of which possible prospects they would get? I would be really sad to see Gonzalez go but if thats how they get rid of Becketts and Crawfords contracts then let it be. I wonder if they are planning to use some of this money to extend Ellsbury in the offseason.

With this trade the Red Sox have comPletely blown up a team who could have won this division had things broke in their favor. They will have to undergo years of a rebuild and trading Agon will surely cripple them.

Props to LA for taking this risk financially. They really improved their team for te better this deadline.

Here’s the list of their potential targets in the offseason if this goes down:

Josh Hamilton
Cody Ross
BJ Upton
Grady Sizemore
Nick Swisher

Ryan Dempster
Edwin Jackson
Kyle Lohse
Brandon McCarthy
Jake Peavy

So the point is, Crawford and Beckett can be replaced with money in the offseason. If they want to replace Agon, they will have to dig into the farm because the FA crop is worthless at 1b this year. But they could take the prospects from the Dodgers and flip them as part of the package and the rebuild is complete, in one offseason.

That pitcher list does not seem to have much potential to strike fear into the hearts of the Yankees, Rays, Orioles, and Jays…

They’re more likely to go after pitching via trade and spend their FA money on the hitters. They’ll absolutely talk to Hamilton if this deal gets done, and may seek to extend Ellsbury as well. Ross makes a lot of sense if he’ll take a 2 or 3 year deal. Upton’s probably a bad fit and will wind up overpaid, and Swisher’s going to try and break the bank. Sizemore might be a worthwhile gamble if the money’s right, though.

Bill Shaikin’s reporting that Rubby was claimed by the Jays, so he’s been pulled off waivers and sent to AAA. He thinks it’s to shut him down until the end of the year, when he’ll be moved to BOS as a PTBN.

This is the biggest wash-up deal I’ve seen for the Dodgers. Worse than the Penny/Pee-Soup DePodesta trade if all the people involved get traded. Gonzalez is the only one worth anything. It shouldn’t take that many players to off-load Loney.

Except, In the NL West, it’s not a stretch to thing Beckett could get
back to form and be a solid starter. Agon is gonna be good no matter
where he plays. Crawford and Punto are just eh. The only thing I really
dislike is Crawford’s salary, but there’s apparently salary relief going
to LA. I also don’t no much about the prospects at hand.

Baseball business is weird. The Dodgers just sign Yasiel Puig to a seven year deal worth 42 million. He’s not really hitting the ball right now but then again he hasn’t played in a year, so I’ll give him credit on that. The one guy that is hitting the ball is Joc Pederson in Rancho Cucamonga. So I think that’s why Sand’s name has come up in trade talk so then the Dodgers can bring up Blake Smith to triple A for some outfield depth which would mean Pederson would go to Double A, if not next this year but next year.

The Dodgers then go after Ramirez, Victorino and Blanton. Blanton and Victorino aren’t hitting the ball, so now there going after Gonzalez, Crawford, Beckett, and Punto? Sending four players to the Dodgers who’s contracts are worth more than 250 million dollars is kind of questionable because I don’t get why the Dodgers would go out and trade for two players who haven’t been playing well and another who is injury prone. I can’t see the commissioner approving this deal, but then again the Dodgers have the money, so I guess anything is possible.

I guess as a fan of the Dodgers I don’t agree with this type of deal because A.) Crawford is not the same old Crawford as he use to be when he was with the Rays B. ) Beckett sucks, or he’s pretending to suck to get out of Boston. C.) Why are we getting Nick Punto, the guy is hitting .200 we might as well keep the highest paid bench warmer Uribe on the team, but it doesn’t look to good for him on his part.

(How it went down)Ok…You want Adrian , Ned – “Yes”, Would you be willing to take Beckett?, Ned – “Yes”, Uh huuh….Would you be willing to take Crawford?, Ned “Yes”, Uh Huuuuuuuuh……..would you be willing to take punto (covers the phone darn it i meant to say Lackey!) .. Ned “Yes” .

That depends, it makes their team significantly better, but that’s a lot of money, and they may find that they have holes open up and have no money left to fill them. So it could have significant implications later on down the road.

In the end, these are all just prospects. Boston gets salary relief but the Dodgers with control of Agon / Beckett and potential with a healthy Crawford in a new environment win this deal based on principle alone in my opinion. Boston is trading all of their eggs in one basket to one team. This could backfire because they didn’t spread out their resources. No knocks on the dodgers farm but giving up Agon, Beckett, and Crawford is such a risky move. LA could very easily dominate this deal leaving Boston in the bottom of the division for some time.

“Backfire because they didn’t spread out their resources.” What are you trying to say? Trade each player to a separate team? They couldn’t find a suitor for one of those contracts, now they found a team to take on at least and two and maybe a third. This is a fantastic deal for the Red Sox.

trading agon is so dumb. who are they going to sign to replace him? especially after giving up casey kelly and rizzo to get him…and for what? salary relief that will just go right back into John Henry’s bank account? and a couple of prospects that wont pan out?

That’s great but I still have faith in Crawford. Not living up to 20M a year but being even 3/4 of his old self is a very valuable player. And gonzo is a top 1st baseman and don’t give me he is having a power decline. All hitters struggle and that’s all it was. He’s been tearing it up.

Yeah but in terms of the Red Sox, Crawford has already cost them enough in the little time hes actually played…Gonzo is one of my favorite Red Sox but De la Rosa, Sands, Webster and De Jesus is a pretty nice haul for Agon plus getting rid of the salaries of Beckett who has little value and Crawford whose trade value is negative at this point.

maybe, but i think he’s saying that has was just getting used to the players we are gong to give away until he saw Loney added into the mix. but i agree with A’s Fan, Loney has a crazy bad grounder to double play statistic..

Did any other Red Sox fans appreciate the email blast at 3pm from Red Sox Auctions selling Fenway bricks nobody wants? Selling off half the team being the high water mark, may as well try and cash in on the goodwill

I’m actually a little bit surprised that this deal is being allowed by MLB. They’ve nixed deals in the past that were far less video-game inspired. This, entire trade seems a bit fishy to me. Granted, the BoSox may be on the very verge of undoing every bad Epstein signing in one fell swoop, but something just feels off about his.

The Dodgers are now the team getting the superior talent in trades by being able to eat salary.

I mean I like De La Rosa and Webster, but if anyone doesn’t think the Dodgers will end up with great SP prospects to replace them sooner than later, they are kidding themselves.

LOL, the Red Sox don’t even get the Dodgers’ highest rated prospect back in the deal.

Of course, there is risk with taking on Crawford, but if someone told me we could get AGon AND Crawford in a deal and not give up Zach Lee and any significant player on the major league roster, I would have called you crazy!

Sands has a lot of potential, but with the acquisition of Gonzalez has no place to play. He’s even blocked in the OF with Kemp/Ethier/Victorino and Crawford/Puig.

Webster and De La Rosa are the tough ones to give up, but Kershaw, Billingsley and Beckett are all signed long-term and Capuano, Harang and Lilly are all under contract through next year. So starting pitching doesn’t appear to be a concern, either.

Any Red Sox fans on this site who have read my posts will know that I amnot being a biased Yankees fan. I look at all things and all trades fairly.

I just believe that having Agon replace Loney, Beckett replace Blanton, and Crawford join Kemp and Ethier next year is just a great move.

Webster and De La Rosa are very promising for a rebuilding Sox team. I don’t think fans realize this also means Big Papi is likely a goner as well.the Dodgers with Hanley and Agon at the corners have improved their team so so much.

I agree, I think that it is a deal that could work out very well for both teams. AGON is a beast, and I think that beckett could revive himself outside of boston. Agon’s deal is pretty good for them too. It’s about what other top 1B are getting, but it avoids them from having to pay him till he is 40 like the others. 15M for Beckett also isn’t that bad if he returns to form. In reality it only sheds one bad contract in CC, who is overpaid definetely, but is not useless like *cough*Lackey*cough*.
For the redsox it is a great deal because they could get to shed many contracts at once.

I would normally agree with you on Beckett if it were a problem based on fly ball rates or BAA due to Fenway, but it’s not. His sinker for whatever reason is not the same pitch. It’s flattened. And, he’s not been sharp, missing the strikes one and getting in a lot of 3 ball counts. Those aren’t things that improve with park factor.

What I was trying to get at, although LA isn’t really a smaller market. I think he is just kind of giving up in Boston, he isn’t that old, and I think they should be able to get another 2.5 years out of him. Look at AJ did this year. Alot of his problem was that everyone was tearing him apart.

The most shocking part of this to me is that they’re having a fire sale and not including Lackey!!! Seems like they got rid of all the supposed “malcontents” who objected to Bobby V – first Shoppach and McClure, now these 4 – all for Bobby V??? Is he really worth it? It doesn’t appear to me that Valentine is close to being fired – rather, the opposite – he’s their new leader. UGHHHH. Now I know what my friend the Orioles fan has gone through the last 10 years.

Have to have a taker if you’re going to dump a contract and I’d imagine not too many teams were interested in taking on Lackey’s deal with his health issues and recent performance.

Realistically, while Gonzalez is one of the best hitters in baseball, it’s probably not impossible to find someone to stand at 1B and hit .250 with 25 HR. Good, bad, or indifferent, it looked like Gonzalez had trouble keeping things “in house” regardless of the fact that “he let his friend use his phone”. If you can move a guy, elite bat or not, at the easiest position in baseball to find production at and package him with two huge non-performing contracts [one which is also at an easily replaced offensive position] you have to do it.

Bobby Valentine, as maligned as he is, wanted Middlebrooks over Youkilis [he was right], he wanted Daniel Bard nowhere near the rotation [he was right], and wanted to get Shoppach and his negative influence out of the clubhouse to make way for Lavarnway [again, he was right].

no press is bad press. Unless its about the Red Sox even the national writers miss the boat when they write about Boston. Buster Onley said yesterday Bostons priority now is a Close. What? so now we need a Ryan Madson type (9mil and hurt one yr deal) We have Bailey, Carpenter, Melancon, Aceves, Bard (he will be back in the bullpen) I think they can combine for about 30 saves and the combined salary is nothing compared to the top closer contracts out there. As Peter Gammons and others have always pointed out, its all about starting pitching! ’04 might be the best example of that Pedro, Schilling, Lowe 3 of the best in all of baseball at the time.

Idk unless Felix is content to never make the playoffs in his career. He will get fed up with Seattle at some point. Imagine if Seattle never traded C. Lee and signed a few Cody Ross, Nick Swisher, Ryan Ludwick types they might be the Division champs……

So the only way the Giants could block a trade (if the trade is finalized) is if the Dodgers had a better record, the Giants could have claimed GonZo, preventing the Dodgers from having the chance to work out a trade? Am I correct?

I guess the Dodgers have decided that, with this move, they really don’t need prospects anymore. It would seem the only position that isn’t set for the next couple years (at least) would be 2B with Mark Ellis (and the Dodgers did retain Castellanos, at least).

The question becomes whether the pitching will hold up. The bullpen has some weaknesses, but the rotation behind Kershaw, while not exceptional, is probably good enough. Beckett replaces Blanton who replaced Lilly (who may or may not return from the DL). Capuano and Harang have both been better than anticipated. And Billingsley, while mediocre at the start of the season, has been incredible as of late…

Wasn’t Billingsley amazing to start the season? I think he went into a funk after about 8 starts. Anyway, the staff going forward seems to be lacking. Kershaw is going to get outrageous money when he hits free agency and after him they do not have a ton especially considering how man pitching prospects they have traded this summer.

No, not really. Billingsley’s first 3 starts were solid, but it was all downhill from there.

Yeah, I’m worried about the prospect of extending Kershaw with all these huge contracts being added to the books.

But the starting pitchers that the Dodgers traded (De La Rosa, Webster, Martin) were those closer to being Major League ready. They still have more long-term pitching prospects in Lee, Reed, Gould… and Withrow might get it together one of these days. They’ll be hurting starting pitchers to call up from the minors for the next couple seasons, but should be fine beyond that.

Love it an ownership that is willing to spend to win. O Maleys boy wouldnt do it.. Rupert wouldnt do it and nether did McCheap… But now there is Magic in the air and Kasten, Guber and comapnies $$$…… Had high hopes for Ruby prior to his injury though real good prospect for Bo Sox’s.

Talk about sending a message. Surely, there has been no post-non-waiver deadline deal that has been this big, but I also see it as a message being sent by Red Sox management that the mutiny is stopping right now. The first move was likely the sending of Kelly Shoppach to the Mets, and this is the proverbial other shoe.

What I also get from this: Bobby V will be sticking around—shape up or ship out. The real surprise is how much the Red Sox are not eating in salary.

I almost wouldn’t trade Gonzalez for that whole package…. but to give up that much salary, maybe the Sox win in the long run. Maybe the Sox see this year as the compass for Gonzalez instead of the last 5-6.

Interesting thought. I was about to ask….let’s pretend that the prospects end up not being impact players. Let’s pretend that, at best, they end up being back of rotation or decent middle relievers…..do the Sox still win this deal (from their perspective, regardless of what the departing players do) just because they dumped all of that money?

I wonder though…how does that make guys like Pedroia, Lester and Ellsbury feel? I would assume that also means no Ortiz in 2013?

Dumping that much salary does give them the flexibility to get better free agents in the offseason. Maybe the new Red Sox FO can do better deals than Theo did. If they use that free salary to hire good FAs and the prospects turn out to be decent relievers, I think the Red Sox come out OK.

It’s a good thought. I would think the fan base would end up the losers, as well as the players you mentioned. The ownership group, by shedding all that salary, win regardless. With the newly acquired relief, they can easily go out and reload (as long as Valentine is dumped). Don’t sleep on Rubby though. I almost hope this thing falls through merely because of his potential.

Based on what the Dodgers have been dealing with most of my life through the end of the O’Malleys, Fox and then he-who-should-not-be-named, it’s incredible. The strategy does seem to be go get youngish players that were considered blue chippers 2-3 years ago, and with Hanley and Gonzalez, at least, I think it is going to work out to be a devastating lineup for other teams to go against.

Interesting to see a Yanks Fan call the Red Sox mighty. I guess these days a Yanks fan has to watch out more for Baltimore and Tampa Bay than Boston, and no one could’ve seen that coming even five years ago.

Even though it is hard to give up Gonzo…this needs to happen….we free up money to make some splashes in the offseason and rebuild the team….there are names like Josh Hamilton,Brian McCann,Napoli, Cano (club option),Swisher,Melky Cabrera,BJ Upton, Michael Bourn,….then pitchers like Grienke,Lewis,Lohse, and a lot more…then a closer like Valverde…as long as they don’t overpay for players like them and dig themselves in a hole like they did with Crawford and Gonzalez they will be sucessful…I really think there top priority is signing an ace, making a run at Josh Hamilton, and extending Jacoby Ellsbury…..then again there is always the other option which is probably gonna happen which is selling the team

Lol earlier I made a post that they would sign hamilton to satisfy people and it was disliked instantly. As for the 2014 free agent class, I prefer this FA class with hamels, cain, oh wait………people sign extensions all the time.